Succession Planning and Leadership Development in Nursing: A Bibliometric Analysis (2000–2023)

Succession planning is a commonly employed term in business strategy, referring to the systematic process of transferring leadership responsibilities to another employee to ensure the seamless continuity of an organization's operations. Today, this concept has acquired importance in various industries, including healthcare, with a specific focus on nursing. Several factors led nurse managers to consider preparing potential leaders for primary leadership roles due to the shortage of nurses, significantly impacting healthcare services and patient safety. Because of the importance of this topic, this present bibliometric analysis aims to analyze research studies conducted on succession planning and leadership development in nursing from 2000 to 2023 to identify research trends, key themes, and the evolution of research during this period. The Elsevier Scopus database was utilized for this analysis. This methodology identified (n = 326) journal studies based on the predefined keywords and timeframe. The data derived from this bibliometric analysis offers a robust foundation for conducting a systematic review, enabling a comprehensive synthesis and evaluation of the evidence in this significant field of study.


Introduction
Succession planning is a widely used term in the business strategy that aims to transfer leadership responsibilities to another employee to ensure the organization's smooth operation [1].Today, this concept has acquired importance in various industries, including healthcare, with a specifc focus on nursing.Several factors led nurse managers to consider preparing potential leaders for primary leadership roles due to the shortage of nurses, signifcantly impacting healthcare services and patient safety.According to the American Nursing Association [2], a nursing shortage occurs intermittently, caused by economic crises, waves of retiring nurses, and increased demand for healthcare services.Tis situation worsened between 2020 and 2021 with the emergence of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19), when the world witnessed nurses leaving their jobs as a result of being in high-stress working environments, feeling professional burnout, or seeking positions with higher salaries, which had a substantial infuence on global nursing practices and patient safety [3].According to [4], healthcare organizations waste $8 million yearly due to leadership vacancies.Te same study emphasizes equipping nurses with leadership competencies as crucial to reduce recruitment and orientation expenses.Hiring nurses for leadership creates a talent pipeline, enhances clinical patient outcomes, and improves healthcare quality standards [5].

Literature Review
Succession planning is critical to organization development [6].According to Rothwell [7], succession planning is defned as "a deliberate and systematic efort by an organization to ensure leadership continuity in key positions, retain and develop intellectual and knowledge capital for the future, and encourage individual advancement" (p.29).Why is this concept signifcant?Rothwell [8] emphasizes that without succession planning "organizations will have difculty maintaining leadership continuity-or identifying appropriate leaders when a change in business strategy is necessary" (p.29).Diferent models and methods have been applied in the practice of succession planning in the business sector [9,10].However, limited literature focuses on the implementation of succession planning within nursing.

Te Role of Nurse Manager.
Nurse managers are essential fgures in healthcare, supervising nursing units within hospitals.Teir responsibilities, as outlined in the literature, include ensuring quality patient care, strategic decisionmaking, and efcient resource management [11].Acting as a crucial link between hospital executives and frontline nurses, they facilitate communication and alignment [12].Efective nurse managers, as indicated by research, cultivate supportive environments, advocate for staf, and endeavor to reduce turnover rates [13,14].Teir role is indispensable for delivering high-quality care and ensuring the success of healthcare organizations [5,15].

Key Factors Highlighting the Necessity of Implementing a Succession Planning.
Several key factors underline the need to implement a succession planning training program for nurses to prepare them for leadership roles.Tese factors include an aging workforce, nursing turnover, shortages, and more responsibilities and expectations placed on nurses [5].Tese factors are a global challenge and require universal best practices to face them [15].Numerous studies have found that turnover in nursing management signifcantly impacts patient safety and clinical outcomes due to the disruption it causes in the continuity of leadership and care [16,17].A worldwide longitudinal study identifying turnover rates across various industries found that the healthcare industry has the highest management turnover rate at 9.4%, followed by the telecommunications, energy, and information technology sectors [18].
In addition, the time and resources spent on recruiting and onboarding new nursing managers may divert attention from crucial patient-focused activities [18].Despite nurse managers' essential role, research consistently reveals that healthcare organizations lack structured succession planning training programs [5].As a result, they bear the heavy fnancial burden of recruiting new nursing leadership externally rather than developing internal talent [1].
According to Smeltzer [19], succession planning should be a broad focus where individuals are prepared for future roles, not replacing positions within organizations.Smeltzer [19] also emphasizes aligning employees' and managers' objectives with the organization's overall strategic planning to increase productivity, engagement, and commitment.Tis notion was also supported by Rothwell [8] as succession planning is more than knowing who will take the reins if the corporate jet crashes tomorrow.It is about growing your own talent to ensure your company's future over the long term.(p.23)

Strategies for Best Practice in Nurse Manager Succession
Planning.Studies have identifed various strategies for ensuring the best practice of nursing succession planning.According to Trepanier and Crenshaw [5], organizations should maintain a "deep pool" of potential candidates who are prepared to receive training and step into leadership positions when opportunities arise.Charan [20] asserts that no standard rule dictates internal candidates as the "best choice" and external candidates as the "second best;" the key is to select the most suitable individual for the specifc position.
In contrast, Blouin and McDonagh [18] argue that external candidates have lower success rates than internally promoted employees.Organizations must regularly record employee qualities, skills, and career goals.Demand forecasting is one of the strategies that involves preparing employees for future management positions based on the organization's anticipation of the leadership skills needed to achieve its mission [21].In addition, engaging in discussions with potential candidates about their career growth is a valuable strategy [22].Implement a mentorship program as an efective practice for inspiring future leaders and involve new nurses in leadership roles [23].However, some research indicates that mentorship plans can hinder succession planning because potential candidates who could be more competent may be perceived as a threat to their mentors [5].Preparing future nurses for leadership roles can be achieved through peer-to-peer shadowing.In this method, middle-level nurses shadow their peers, encouraging shared refection during their activities.Tis helps nurse middle managers develop a thoughtful approach, moving away from impulsive responses to immediate needs, avoiding ad hoc actions, and refraining from quick judgments [24].

Bibliometric Analysis.
Despite the importance of succession planning and leadership development in nursing, there is a scarcity of a bibliometric analysis in the literature.A bibliometric analysis ofers valuable insights into publication trends, key authors, and emerging research areas.Trough a bibliometric analysis, researchers can identify gaps in the literature, map the intellectual structure of the feld, and inform future research directions [25].According to Ahmi [25], a bibliometric analysis is the process of analyzing metadata known as bibliographical data, such as author names, afliations, countries, keywords, and document sources.Tis information is primarily stored in research database engines such as Scopus and Web of Science.It can serve as a foundation or introduction for researchers before conducting a specifc study, providing insight into recent trends and publication patterns.
A bibliometric analysis is essential in shedding light on the landscape of scholarly research within a specifc topic.It ofers a comprehensive approach to assess the productivity and impact of research within a particular feld by evaluating the volume of publications and their corresponding citations, thereby measuring the infuence and signifcance of scholarly contributions [26].Moreover, a bibliometric analysis assesses the performance of various metadata involved in research, including authors, institutions, countries, and funders.Tis aspect, known as "performance analysis," constitutes one of the primary components of the bibliometric analysis.In addition, the methodology uncovers 2 Nursing Research and Practice critical themes and topics prevalent in the literature, along with notable trends and gaps [25].Tis dimension, "science mapping," is another key component of the bibliometric analysis.Together, performance analysis and science mapping form the foundational elements of the bibliometric analysis, providing valuable insights into the scholarly landscape [27,28].Te bibliometric analysis focuses on utilizing technology to gather data from sources such as Scopus and Web of Science.Tools such as bibliometrix in R and VOSviewer help organize and analyze these data quickly and accurately.Tis method makes handling complex information about publications, citations, keywords, and references easier, which would be complex and time-consuming to do manually.Bibliometrics also gives a clear overview of research trends, essential themes, and connections.It helps identify key insights, gaps in knowledge, and future research directions, giving a better understanding of the academic feld [26].

Signifcance of the Study.
Tere are various reasons for the signifcance of this study.Firstly, it represents the frst recent bibliometric analysis conducted on nurse manager succession planning and leadership development, addressing a notable gap in the existing literature.Secondly, individuals interested in nursing succession planning and leadership development can utilize this study as a comprehensive reference to understand recent trends, identify essential papers, and recognize active authors in the feld.Moreover, doctoral students focusing on nursing succession planning and leadership development can use the fndings to identify potential supervisors and gain insights for their dissertations.In addition, researchers aiming to conduct systematic reviews on this topic can use this study as a foundational resource, laying the groundwork for further synthesis and evaluation of evidence.Furthermore, this study serves to identify gaps in the current literature, paving the way for future research endeavors and enhancing our understanding of nurse manager succession planning and leadership development.Lastly, researchers seeking international collaboration can fnd this study helpful for networking and establishing connections with colleagues worldwide.(3) What are the infuential scholars and highly cited documents on the topic of succession planning and leadership development in nursing?(4) What are the major themes of knowledge that have been explored on the topic of succession planning and leadership development in nursing?(5) What are the most active journals that publish research on succession planning and leadership development in nursing?

Search Strategy.
Tis study used the bibliometric analysis to evaluate the research on succession planning and leadership development in nursing.Te bibliometric analysis is a quantitative examination of written publications that explores the historical development of scientifc works to assess their impact [29][30][31].It analyzes metadata including the "the source title, the year the article being published, publisher name, type of documents, the title of the article, author's name, afliations and country of the authors, abstract, keywords, and references" [32].In addition, it helps to understand how a specifc feld evolves and what is new [27].
Te search was conducted on April 22, 2024, utilizing the Elsevier Scopus database to retrieve publications relevant to the study's topic.While signifcant bibliographic databases such as Web of Science and Dimensions exist, Elsevier Scopus was selected for its comprehensive coverage of the bibliometric analysis, especially within social science [33].López-Illescas et al. [34] state that Scopus includes approximately 70% more sources than WoS.As a result, it is expected to yield more articles than Web of Science and Dimensions.

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria.
Te inclusion criteria consist of articles meeting the following conditions: (a) publication between 2000 and 2023, (b) peer-reviewed status, and (c) focus on nurse manager succession planning and leadership development.Tese criteria are not overly restrictive to ensure a broader coverage of studies on this topic.Articles failing to meet these criteria were excluded.Tese measures were implemented to guarantee the credibility and relevance of the selected articles, aligning with the research objectives.

Data Extraction and Cleaning.
Te author commenced the search process on the Elsevier Scopus database by exploring article titles, abstracts, and keywords to ensure a comprehensive coverage of studies on nurse manager succession planning and leadership development.Te initial keyword search included terms such as "talent development," "succession management," "talent acquisition," "talent retention," "talent engagement," and "talent deployment," combined with "leadership," "management," or "human resource management," and "nurse," "nurses," or "nurse," AND "healthcare" spanning articles published from 2000 to 2023, resulting in a total of 525 documents.Further Country names were also standardized; for example, variations such as "United State," "United States," and "USA" were unifed as "United States."Similarly, variations such as "UK" and "United Kingdom" were standardized.Once all data were cleaned and standardized, the analysis commenced using biblioMagika and Microsoft Excel, VOSviewer, and OpenRefne.Te author employed OpenRefne to merge and cluster variations in authors' names, afliations, and keywords for consistency and accuracy.Subsequently, VOSviewer was utilized to conduct network analysis, allowing for a comprehensive visualization and exploration of the relationships among the extracted data.biblioMagika was used to generate the information, tables, and overall analysis.

Results and Discussion
In this section, the results of the analyses, as described earlier, are presented in the order of the research questions.
Te presentation of the analyses includes graphs, tables, and the visualization of bibliometric networks using VOSviewer, accompanied by a discussion pertaining to each analysis and its corresponding results.  2 displays the total publications and their percentiles.Table 3 summarizes the languages used in nurse manager succession planning and leadership development publications.Most publications, constituting 99.08%, are in English, indicating its dominance in this feld of study.Portuguese and Spanish each contribute 1.23% of the publications, while Korean and French have the lowest representation, at 0.61% and 0.31%, respectively.It is important to note that the total count is 334, as some documents are translated into multiple languages, refecting the international dissemination of research fndings and accommodating diverse linguistic audiences.Tis distribution highlights the prevalence of English in research publications in this area, with comparatively fewer publications available in other languages.4 provides insights into the evolution of research on nursing succession planning and leadership development from 2000 to 2023.A noticeable trend emerges with a consistent increase in the number of publications, indicating a growing interest in this specialized feld of study.Despite fuctuations in publication numbers observed over the years, since 2008, there has been a clear upward trend.Concurrently, total citations demonstrate variability across diferent years since 2003, with a peak observed in 2014, reaching a substantial total of 322 citations.Tis peak highlights an increasing interest among authors in referencing papers about nursing succession planning and leadership development, indicative of the signifcance and relevance of research in this domain.Besides, various factors may have contributed to this increase in publications.One possible reason could be advancements in research methods, making it easier for researchers to conduct studies in this area.In addition, changes in healthcare policies or initiatives emphasizing the importance of leadership in nursing may have encouraged more research activities.Moreover, the growing recognition of leadership's signifcance in nursing and emerging challenges in the profession could have also motivated researchers' interest in exploring this topic further.Tese factors collectively suggest a varied landscape driving the rise in publications on nursing succession planning and leadership development.

Country Contributions and Collaborations
Te frst part of the second research question attempts to examine patterns of contributions of various countries to the publication of most countries with high publications and citations on succession planning and leadership development in nursing.According to Ahmi [25], Scopus data on countries are mainly associated with the afliation of the authors rather than the country where the research was      6 Nursing Research and Practice conducted.In fact, identifying the original country of the research typically requires reading the full article, which falls more within the scope of systematic or narrative reviews rather than the bibliometric analysis [25].Te distribution of publications in Table 5  Despite facing challenges, these countries highlight the global nature of this research topic and the importance of diverse perspectives in advancing the feld.Figure 3 displays the global distribution map of publications on succession planning and leadership development in nursing, providing better visualization of the total publications in each country and continent.

Productive Authors and Cocitation Networks.
To address the frst part of the third research question, an authorship analysis was conducted using biblioMagika to provide valuable insights into the individuals who have made signifcant contributions to the feld of nurse manager succession planning and leadership development in nursing.[37] with a citation count of 96.Tese articles ofer comprehensive reviews and explorations of key factors and interventions impacting nursing leadership.In addition, several articles focus specifcally on leadership competencies and development within nursing practice, such as "An Integrative Review of Leadership Competencies and Attributes in Advanced Nursing Practice" by Heinen et al. [38] and "An Empowerment Framework for Nursing Leadership Development: Supporting Evidence" by Macphee et al. [39].Tese articles provide knowledge of the skills and attributes required for efective leadership in nursing.It is important to mention that the "Journal of Nursing Management" and the "Journal of Nursing Administration" are the top sources for most of these articles, indicating that researchers may prioritize these journals when seeking papers on nurse manager succession planning and leadership before considering other journals.However, it is important to recognize that this conclusion is drawn from the data presented in this analysis and may vary depending on researcher interests and preferences.

Temes of Knowledge/Keywords Analysis.
Te fourth research question aims to explore into the most commonly utilized key concepts, specifcally the authors' keywords, within the study of succession planning and leadership development in nursing.Identifying commonly studied concepts provide a diferent perspective on the conceptual structure of knowledge based within a respective boundary of data [53].Before analyzing author keywords, all the keywords were cleaned and harmonized using OpenRefne software and manually double-checked.Tis step is crucial for ensuring consistency, accuracy, and standardization across the dataset, thus facilitating a more reliable and meaningful analysis of keyword trends and patterns.Te Notes.TP � total number of publications; TC � total citations.
Nursing Research and Practice process involves harmonizing synonyms, various spellings, and plurals [25].Ten, the comma-separated value fle was exported to VOSviewer to start with the author keyword analysis.Te type of analysis performed is co-occurrence, with the unit of analysis being author keywords and utilizing the counting method of full counting.As per the VOSviewer manual (2021), full counting assigns equal strength to each connection, while fractional counting adjusts the strength based on the number of authors involved in a document.Te threshold for the minimum number of occurrences of a keyword is three out of the 1060 keywords, with 330 keywords meeting this threshold.Tese selected keywords, amounting to 330, are displayed in Figure 4.As illustrated in Figure 4, the analysis of keyword cooccurrence using VOSviewer identifed a total of 11 clusters based on themes.However, only the top fve clusters have been selected for further discussion.Te most relevant keywords within these clusters are (a) leadership in the red cluster, (b) nursing education in the green cluster, (c) staf development in the blue cluster, (d) mentoring in the gold cluster, and (e) organization innovation in the purple cluster.
First, in the red cluster, which includes keywords such as leadership, academic nursing leadership, administrative personnel, awareness, career, consultation, continuing education, curriculum, education program, future of nursing, interpersonal communication, job performance, job satisfaction, motivation, practice guidelines, team building, teamwork, thinking, training, trust, and work environment, it is notable that these keywords were included in research studies that focus on the importance of leadership and professional development initiatives in advancing the nursing profession and improving patient care outcomes.Based on these keywords, a prominent theme that emerges is Leadership and Professional Development in Nursing.It suggests a focus on enhancing leadership skills, promoting  Second, the keywords grouped in the green cluster cover various important aspects of nursing.Tey include topics such as nursing education, clinical skills, the role of nursing teachers, improving healthcare quality, the challenges faced by middle-aged nurses, conducting nursing research, coaching methods, collaboration between healthcare workers, dealing with the efects of COVID-19, and managing fnances in healthcare.Te keywords in this cluster directly refect what researchers have focused on in their studies.Based on the keywords used in this cluster, a prominent theme that emerges is the comprehensive exploration of nursing education and competency development.Researchers could explore into various aspects such as innovative teaching methods in nursing education, strategies to enhance clinical skills among nurses, initiatives to improve healthcare quality, and coping mechanisms for challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and resource limitations.Tis theme highlights the importance of continuous learning, skill-building, collaboration, and adaptation to new challenges in the nursing profession.
In the blue cluster, keywords such as staf development, professional competency, personnel selection, personnel turnover, nurse's role, nurse attitude, mentors, career, and mobility indicate a thematic focus on the development of healthcare personnel, particularly nurses.Tis cluster refects an exploration of strategies and initiatives aimed at enhancing the skills, competencies, and career advancement opportunities for nursing professionals.Researchers studied various aspects, including staf training and development programs, methods to improve professional competence, approaches to personnel selection and retention, understanding the roles and attitudes of nurses in diferent healthcare settings, the impact of mentorship on career growth, and factors infuencing career mobility within the nursing profession.Tis cluster highlights the importance of investing in the professional development and well-being of nurses to improve patient care outcomes and promote job satisfaction and retention in the healthcare workforce.
Ten, in the gold cluster, keywords such as mentoring, nursing education research, nursing leadership, program evaluation, succession planning, capacity building, empowerment, nurse executive, outcome assessment, and strategic planning converge to indicate a thematic focus on leadership development and capacity building within the nursing profession.Tis cluster refects an exploration of various topics, including the role of mentoring in supporting professional growth, research on efective nursing education strategies, leadership development initiatives, evaluation of educational programs, succession planning within nursing leadership, building organizational capacity, promoting empowerment among nursing staf, assessing outcomes of nursing interventions, and strategic planning to address future challenges in healthcare delivery.Tis cluster  Nursing Research and Practice highlights the importance of nurturing leadership capabilities, fostering continuous learning and development, and strategically planning for the future to enhance the efectiveness and resilience of nursing practice and education.Last, in the purple cluster, keywords such as organization innovation, clinical leadership, healthcare policy, in-service training, work engagement, and workload signify a thematic focus on organizational dynamics and innovation within healthcare settings.Tis cluster refects an exploration of various topics, including innovative practices in healthcare organizations, efective clinical leadership strategies, the impact of healthcare policies on practice, in-service training programs for healthcare professionals, factors infuencing work engagement among staf, and workload management strategies.Researchers have contributed to understand how organizational innovation, leadership practices, policy frameworks, and training programs infuence work dynamics, employee engagement, and the delivery of quality care in healthcare settings.In addition, they have emphasized the importance of fostering innovation, efective leadership, and supportive work environments to enhance healthcare delivery and outcomes.

Te Most Active Journals Publish
Research.To answer the ffth research question, Table 8 presents the top 10 most active source titles for publications on nurse manager succession planning and leadership development.Tese source titles represent journals that have contributed signifcantly to the dissemination of research in this feld.Te top source title is the "Journal of Nursing Administration," with 41 publications and 888 total citations.Tis journal, published by Wolters Kluwer Health, emerges as a key platform for scholarly discourse on nurse manager succession planning and leadership development.Following closely behind is the "Journal of Nursing Management" from Hindawi, with 29 publications and 683 total citations.Tis journal also serves as an important source for research in this area.Other notable source titles include "Nurse Leader" from Elsevier, "Nursing Administration Quarterly" from Wolters Kluwer Health, and the "Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing" from Slack, Inc. Tese publications have made signifcant contributions to advancing knowledge and practices related to nurse manager succession planning and leadership development.

Implication
Te implications of this research are signifcant for both the academic and healthcare communities.Te increasing interest in nurse manager succession planning and leadership development, as evidenced by the increase in publications over year, highlights the importance of addressing the impending shortage of nurse managers and cultivating essential leadership competencies.Healthcare institutions are tasked with the responsibility of proactively preparing nurses for management roles and ensuring a robust pipeline of qualifed candidates.Succession planning and leadership development are strategic approaches to address this challenge.
Furthermore, international collaboration among countries contributing to this body of knowledge is a promising sign of shared expertise and potential for cross-cultural learning.However, more eforts are required by researchers in the Middle East region, as there are fewer studies published in nurse manager succession planning and leadership development compared to developed countries.Recognizing leading scholars in the feld of nurse manager succession planning and leadership development helps to provide a foundation for future research collaboration.Tis information is also helpful to refer back to the publications of the authors to build upon existing knowledge and exploring the possibility of joint collaboration on future research studies.In addition, identifying key concepts used by authors in publishing research studies on nurse manager succession planning and leadership development, such as leadership development and clinical leadership, mentoring, and organizational innovation, researchers can uncover trends, gaps, and emerging areas of focus within the feld.

Limitations
Te bibliometric analysis typically focuses on the published literature indexed in specifc databases, for example, Scopus, which may overlook relevant studies published in nonindexed or non-English language journals.Furthermore, the analysis may be subject to biases inherent in the selection and interpretation of data, such as keyword selection criteria or citation practices.Finally, while the bibliometric analysis can reveal trends and patterns over time, it may not capture the nuanced contextual factors that infuence research trends

Conclusion and Future Direction
In conclusion, this bibliometric study sheds light on the publications of nurse manager succession planning and leadership development published from 2000 to 2023.Te analysis highlights the diverse contributions of various countries to the literature on nurse manager succession planning and leadership development.While Western countries, notably the United States, have played a signifcant role, the emergence of contributions from smaller regions is encouraging.Tis contribution highlights the potential for collaborative research eforts to deepen our understanding and assess the healthcare system for the best model in nursing succession planning.Moving forward, this research is a valuable resource for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners, providing a solid foundation for conducting systematic reviews to further synthesize and evaluate evidence in this important feld.In addition, future research directions could include exploring the efectiveness of diferent succession planning strategies, examining the impact of leadership development programs on patient outcomes, and investigating the role of technology in enhancing leadership capabilities in nursing.Tese suggestions will contribute to advancing knowledge and informing practice in nurse manager succession planning and leadership development.
Questions.Tis bibliometric analysis aims to analyze research on succession planning and leadership development in nursing from 2000 to 2023 to identify trends, key themes, and the evolution of research during this period.Performance and network analyses of succession planning in nursing were conducted to answer the following research questions: (1) What pattern of publications and document citations of the articles on succession planning and leadership development in nursing from 2000 to 2023? (2) What is the pattern of contribution of various countries to the publication of succession planning and leadership development in nursing?
Figure 2 graphically represents the total number of publications and citations over the years from 2000 to 2023. Figure 2 visually displays the cumulative 4 Nursing Research and Practice number of publications and citations spanning the years 2000 to 2023.Te bars on the chart represent the total publications, while the line illustrates the total citations.

Figure 1 :
Figure 1: Flow diagram of the search strategy.

Figure 2 :
Figure 2: Total publication and citation per year.Note.Succession planning and leadership development in nursing publications per year from 2000 to 2023 (n � 326).

Figure 3 :
Figure 3: Global distribution of publications on succession planning and leadership development in nursing.Note.Te map generated using https://iipmaps.com/map/world.

Figure 4 :
Figure 4: Co-occurrence network analysis of the most frequently used author keywords.

Table 1
in the area of succession planning and leadership development in nursing is 939.In addition, the number of cited papers is 299, whereas the total citations of the documents are 4,183.
displays the basic information of the documents included in the analysis.Based on the analysis from the year 2000 to 2023, the number of documents found is (n � 326).Te total number of contributing authors

Table 1 :
Basic information of the documents included in the analysis.

Table 3 :
Languages.Some documents in this dataset are translated into multiple languages, accounting for the total count of 334 publications across the languages listed in the table.

Table 4 :
Publication by year.
Notes.TP � total number of publications; NCP � number of cited publications; TC � total citations; h � h-index; g � g-index.

Table 6
Te second part of the third research question is about the highly cited document.Table 7 presents the top 20 highly cited articles in nurse manager succession planning and leadership development.Tese articles have gained signifcant attention within the scholarly community, as evidenced by their high citation counts.One notable article is "Preparing Nurse Leaders for 2020" by Huston [35], which appears twice on the list and has a citation count of 182.Other infuential articles include "Te Essentials of Nursing Leadership: A Systematic Review of Factors and Educational Interventions Infuencing Nursing Leadership" by Cummings et al. [36] with a citation count of 106 and "Te Role of the Charge Nurse Manager: A Descriptive Exploratory Study" by Mccallin and Frankson

Table 5 :
Distribution of the 10 top countries with higher publications.

Table 6 :
Top 10 of the most contributed scholars on nurse manager succession planning and leadership development in nursing.

Table 8 :
Top 10 of the most active source titles.Practice or the practical implications of the fndings.Despite these limitations, the study ofers valuable future research and collaboration directions.